With last Monday, April 2 being Autism Awareness day, millions of people around the country and around the world wore blue to support and spread awareness for a still very mysterious disorder. Despite the many people who wore blue that day, autism is still something that sometimes falls under the radar when it comes to knowledge of the disorder, as well as funding in pursuits of a cure. A very broad definition of autism, according to autismspeaks.org, would be “[varying] difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors,” but there is very many different types of autism and a very wide spectrum of degrees of the disorder. A high-functioning case of Autism can often lead a very normal, self-sufficient life into their adulthood; however, low functioning cases often don’t stand a chance when it comes to living on their own and leading a normal life. Autism roots in early brain development and tends to emerge, and be diagnosed between the ages of 2 and 3 years, as of right now there is no known exact cause or cure to this disorder. Autism is on the rise, with the diagnosis increasing ten-fold within the past 40 years. It affects 1 in 88 American children, and 1 in 54 boys. This year, more children will be diagnosed with Autism than pediatric AIDS, diabetes, and cancer of any type combined; however, it receives less than 5% of the research funding of those less common childhood diseases. Although Autism is not life-threatening, it affects its victims and its victims’ families for life. One example of a mother who is no stranger to the heartbreak that comes when your child is diagnosed with Autism is Toby Jacobs-Mijolovic, of Newport, NY. Toby is the mother of Michael, who, some might describe as a 12-year-old boy genius; however, there was a time when Toby worried if Michael would ever speak. As a newborn, Toby described her son as very verbal and very active, he spoke 10 words by 10 months old. But something happened after Michael received his vaccinations, he “stopped talking, stopped playing, all he would do was stare at ceiling fans and line up is matchbox cars in a row,” according to his mother. When Michael was diagnosed with Autism, his parents, Simon and Toby, were told he would never speak, never go to normal school or have friends, and ultimately never live a normal life, which left them nothing but time to worry. Immediately, Toby quit her job as a teacher to dedicate all her time to helping Michael and volunteering at his school, the Promises Program at Upstate Cerebral Palsy, a specialized program for children with Autism that uses Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy; along with 7 hours of school, Toby worked with Michael for 3 hours a day at home, and all her hard work was paid off when Michael spoke his first word (Mama) after almost 3 years. “A lot is to be said for early, intense, and extensive intervention,” says Toby today, and a lot would agree with her, considering Michael is now a 6th grader, in normal elementary school, excelling in his classes, and preparing to move up to middle school with his class this coming June. Current controversy in the Autism and families of children with Autism community is whether a cure is to be found, or simply just acceptance for its victims. Toby would probably be described as neutral in this conflict, “I want a cure, but I would never want to change Michael, I can’t imagine him being any different.” It’s not imaginable that anyone would want to change this intelligent, caring, and funny 12-year-old, and there’s no doubt that he has an extremely bright future ahead of him. So, although being diagnosed with autism is in no way a death sentence, it presents many challenges for its victims and their families. Many autistic children aren’t as lucky as Michael and will never live a normal life, which is exactly why more awareness, acceptance, and research of the disorder in pursuits of finding a cure needs to happen.